This invention relates to providing a simplified mechanism for controlling the operating of a computer system.
In the recent past, computer users have been required to be both expert in their discipline as well as in the operation and control of the computer used to execute the discipline. That is, the user has been required to know both what has to be done and how to use the computer tools to do what has to be done. The problems have been compounded as computer systems have increased in sophistication and power.
These problems associated with the desktop computing sophistication have been recognized since the early 1980's. The technical focus of solutions directed to this problem have been to make the computer easier to use. This has been by making the operation consistent across various applications. Apple Computer's "Macintosh" graphical user interface, "Windows" software marketed by Microsoft Corporation for the IBM-PC, "Motif" software for UNIX computers, and "Open Look" software for Sun Microsystems computers have all attempted to address this complexity issue through the common "look and feel" approach. These solutions somewhat address the level of expertise required of users in the operation of the computer, in that once an application is learned, similar applications on the same computer operate similarly. However, the user still is required to be expert in knowing what the job is.
One solution to the problem of user expertise in the discipline has been to define the job as a series of tasks on checklists. For example, a job for a secretary may be to scan a color document into a personal computer, compress the file to shorten transmission time, then transmit the compressed file to a remote office via a modem. This job may entail three checklists as shown in Tables I-III:
TABLE I ______________________________________ CHECKLIST 1 Scan a Document ______________________________________ .quadrature. Start Scanner Application .quadrature. Set up application to scan a color document .quadrature. Scan document .quadrature. Save image in a file .quadrature. Quit Scanner Application ______________________________________
TABLE II ______________________________________ CHECKLIST 2 Compress the File ______________________________________ .quadrature. Start file compression appln .quadrature. Compress image file in JPEG format .quadrature. Save compressed file .quadrature. Quit File Compres- sion application ______________________________________
TABLE III ______________________________________ CHECKLIST 3 Send file via Modem ______________________________________ .quadrature. Start communica- tions application .quadrature. Set up modem com- munications to Omaha office .quadrature. Send compressed file .quadrature. Quit Communica- tions application ______________________________________
As can be recognized in the tasks defined in each of the three checklists, the tasks indicate what is to be done but not how to use the computer to implement or execute the tasks. The secretary still must be relatively expert in using the computer to do the job defined on the checklists.